verso Italian · revision 37731

+ {{homograph|1|line of verse; sound; direction}}

+

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=borrowing|attested=1300–1313, Dante|origins=la vertō}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * /ˈvɛr.so/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''verso''' ''m'' (plural versi)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ The noun is a learned word, [[bor|la|versus|t=a turning; furrow; line; verse]], an action noun from [[m|la|vertō|t=to turn]].^(DELI 1999)^(Nocentini 2010)^(GRADIT 2003)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026) In the language of the countryside the Latin word meant the turn of the plough at the end of a furrow, then the furrow itself, then a line of writing and especially a line of poetry.^(DELI 1999)^(Nocentini 2010) Nocentini compares the ploughman's path with early boustrophedon writing, which ran alternately left to right and right to left.^(Nocentini 2010) The same Latin word is [[fr|vers]] and [[es|verso]].^(Nocentini 2010)^(REW 1935)

+

+ Latin [[m|la|vertō]] goes back to [[ine-pro|*wert-|t=to turn]].^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ DELI's first record is in Dante's ''Commedia'' (1300–1313), for a line of poetry: “mirate la dottrina che s'asconde / sotto 'l velame de li versi strani” (look at the teaching hidden under the veil of the strange verses).^(DELI 1999)^(GDLI)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ In the plural ''versi'' meant a poem or poetry in a 14th-century translation of Boethius, and Boccaccio already used the word for the song of birds (1348–1353).^(DELI 1999) The sense extended to the cry of other animals (Lorenzo Magalotti, before 1712) and of street vendors (1922), and to a person's characteristic way of speaking or moving.^(DELI 1999) Francesco Berni uses it for “way, manner” before 1535, as in today's ''non c'è verso di…'' “there is no way to…”.^(DELI 1999)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026) ''Per un verso'' “on one side” is in Vettori in the 16th century, and the sense “direction” is recorded in 1875; in mathematics a ''verso'' is the sense of a vector or of travel along a curve.^(DEI|4032)^(DELI 1999)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)^(Wikizionario)

+

+ Derivatives include ''versetto'' (13th century), the verse of a chapter of the Bible from Domenico Cavalca, and ''verseggiare'' (16th century); ''versiliberista'' (1918) translates French ''vers-libriste''.^(DELI 1999)^(Nocentini 2010)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 1300–1313 – Dante uses ''verso'' for a line of poetry.^(DELI 1999)

+ * 14th century – A translation of Boethius uses ''versi'' for poetry.^(DELI 1999)

+ * 1348–1353 – Boccaccio uses it for the song of birds.^(DELI 1999)

+ * Before 1535 – Francesco Berni uses it for “way, manner”.^(DELI 1999)

+ * Before 1712 – Lorenzo Magalotti uses it for the cry of animals.^(DELI 1999)

+ * 1918 – ''Versiliberista'' is first recorded.^(DELI 1999)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Noun===

+ # A line of [[m|en|verse]]: ''un sonetto di quattordici versi''.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)^(Zingarelli 2010)

+ # ''(plural)'' Poetry, a poem: ''scrivere versi''.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Zingarelli 2010)

+ # The characteristic [[m|en|cry]] or call of an animal: ''il verso della civetta''.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Zingarelli 2010)

+ # An inarticulate noise or grimace: ''Smettila di fare versi!''^(GRADIT 2003)

+ # [[m|en|direction]], the way in which something moves or lies: ''Hai messo il tappeto nel verso sbagliato.''.^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)^(DELI 1999)

+ # Way, manner: ''Non c'è stato verso di farlo partire in orario.''^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)^(DELI 1999)

+ # ''(mathematics)'' The sense of a vector or of travel along a curve.^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)^(Wikizionario)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[versetto]]

+ * [[versaccio]]

+ * [[verseggiare]]

+ * [[verseggiatore]]

+ * [[verseggiatura]]

+ * [[versificare]]

+ * [[versificatore]]

+ * [[versificazione]]

+ * [[versiliberista]]

+

+ {{homograph|2|towards}}

+

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=inherited|attested=before 1294, Brunetto Latini|origins=la vertō}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * /ˈvɛr.so/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''verso''' (invariable; poetic shortened form ''ver'' or ''ver’'')^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Treccani 2011)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ The preposition is [[inh|la|versus|alt=versum|t=towards]], the past participle of [[m|la|vertō|t=to turn]] used as an invariable particle, “turned in the direction of”.^(DELI 1999)^(Nocentini 2010)^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026) The same word is [[fr|vers]], [[oc|ves]] and [[ca|vers]].^(Nocentini 2010)^(REW 1935)^(Körting 1907)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ The first record is the shortened form ''vêr'' in Brunetto Latini, before 1294, and Dante uses both ''vêr'' and ''verso'' before 1321, in the sense “towards, in the direction of”.^(DELI 1999)^(GDLI)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ Dante also uses the preposition for “against” (1313–1319) and for comparison, “compared with”, now literary.^(DELI 1999)^(Devoto–Oli 2026) Giovanni Villani has it for an approximate time, before 1348, and Boccaccio for an attitude towards someone (1348–1353).^(DELI 1999) The sense “near, in the area of” a place is recorded in 1800.^(DELI 1999) Before a personal pronoun the preposition takes ''di'': ''verso di me''.^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Treccani 2011)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * Before 1294 – Brunetto Latini uses ''vêr''.^(DELI 1999)

+ * Before 1321 – Dante uses ''verso''.^(DELI 1999)

+ * Before 1348 – Giovanni Villani uses it for an approximate time.^(DELI 1999)

+ * 1348–1353 – Boccaccio uses it for an attitude towards someone.^(DELI 1999)

+ * 1800 – The sense “near, in the area of” is recorded.^(DELI 1999)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Preposition===

+ # [[m|en|towards]], in the direction of: ''Il treno viaggia verso Napoli.''^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Gabrielli 2020)

+ # Near, in the area of: ''Abitano verso il centro.''^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Treccani 2011)

+ # [[m|en|around]], about, of time or age: ''Ci vediamo verso le otto.''^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Treccani 2011)^(Wiktionary)

+ # Towards, in relation to: ''Era molto gentile verso tutti.''^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Treccani 2011)

+ # ''(literary)'' Compared with.^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Treccani 2011)

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[versicolo]]

+ * [[versare]]

+ * [[vertere]]

+ * [[inverso]]

+ * [[la|versus]]

+ * [[fr|vers]]

+

+ ==Usage notes==

+ ''Verso'' “verso, back of a leaf” (1905), the even page of a book or the reverse of a coin, comes from the Latin phrase ''folio verso'' “on the turned leaf” and is used as the opposite of ''recto''.^(DELI 1999)^(GRADIT 2003)^(Nocentini 2010) The rare literary adjective ''verso'' “turned”, from Latin ''versus'', survives in ''pollice verso'', “with the thumb turned down” as a sign of condemnation, after Juvenal.^(DELI 1999)^(Nocentini 2010)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}